Tuesday, 11 May 2021

Written Answers Nos. 101-120

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (101)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

101. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of the implementation of the recommendations in the March 2021 Report by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on the Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines to Developing Countries; the engagement he has had to date with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to the recommendation of the easing of intellectual property rights with regard to the Covid-19 vaccines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24213/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs

I would like to thank the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence for their recent 'Report on the Distribution of Covid-19 Vaccines to Developing Countries', the recommendations of which are being considered across relevant Government Departments.

Ireland is fully engaged in efforts by the international community to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all. The Government quadrupled funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020, given its role as lead UN Agency for health and co-host of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which has the COVAX facility as a centrepiece.

The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment leads on Intellectual Property Rights and World Trade Organisation (WTO) matters, including on the current discussion on the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. They are working with the European Commission and other EU Member States on the EU response to the calls for a TRIPS waiver. They are also giving consideration to Ireland’s potential participation in technology-pooling mechanisms such as the C-TAP initiative. My Department continues to liaise with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on this and a number of related matters, on an ongoing basis.

In the meantime, so far this year my Department has provided €5 million in Irish Aid funding to enable developing countries to access vaccines. Most of this funding is going to the COVAX facility, the global UN-led mechanism for pooling procurement and fair distribution of vaccines. In addition, my Department was able to work across Government in providing a donation of life-saving oxygen and equipment to India recently, as they deal with the surge in cases there. This is part of at least €50 million allocated by my Department to global health in 2021.

Passport Services

Questions (102)

Michael McNamara

Question:

102. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason the processing of passports was not deemed to be an essential service given that the right to leave a state including one's own is enshrined in international law and the possession of a valid passport is an essential prerequisite for the exercise of that right; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24205/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Throughout the pandemic the Passport Service provided an emergency passport service to citizens. The range of emergency and urgent personal reasons in which travel by citizens is permitted is provided for on a statutory basis, originally in S.I. No. 29/2021 - Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 and now in S.I. No. 168/1921. These are as follows:

- To apply for college or school; if parent has to be there in person or accompany a child; to participate in an exchange programme; take exams

- To work or travel related to your business

- To attend/access essential medical, health or dental appointment/services, or to go to an appointment with someone you live with, or a vulnerable person

- To apply for a mortgage or bank account; to access public services; for security reasons as advised by An Garda Síochána

- To care for a family member who is seriously ill or for other vital family reasons

- To attend the funeral of an immediate family member

- To meet a legal obligation (for example, to appear in court)

- To give access to a child to the other parent of the child, or to access a child that you have a right of access to

- To relocate from or to Ireland (plus family members)

During Level 5 restrictions, the Passport Service processed more than 40,000 or just over one third of the total number of applications received this year, comprising of approximately 3,000 in response to urgent requests and 37,000 non-urgent applications for adults renewing their passport. Customer Service Information was also provided to over 40,000 citizens via our Webchat service during this time.

In the context of the Government’s “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead” I decided that it was appropriate explicitly to designate the Passport Service as an essential service within the framework of S.I. No. 168/2021 - Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10) Regulations 2021. This will facilitate the scaling up of operations to more normal levels and informs our citizens that the Passport Service is ready to meet current and future demand. The Government noted my decision on 29 April 2021.

Our goal is to process all passport applications on hand by the end of June 2021 and to ensure we have the capacity for high levels of anticipated demand for passport applications, were current travel restrictions to ease. The Passport Service has always seen a year on year increase in the number of passports applied for, peaking in 2019 when approximately 935,000 passports were issued. Demand declined in 2020 to 445,000 and this is directly attributable to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

Similar reduced demand has also been seen so far this year. The consequence of the reduced number of passports issued in 2020 and to date in 2021 will mean there is pent up demand. For example, the percentage of expired passport which were not renewed in 2020 stood at 53% whereas in 2019 this was a far lower number at 23%. At present, there are approximately 99,000 Passport Online applications in the system. I am confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace, that these applications can be processed in six to eight weeks.

Questions Nos. 103 and 104 answered with Question No. 57.

Question No. 105 answered with Question No. 56.

Northern Ireland

Questions (106, 107)

Seán Haughey

Question:

106. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will renew his efforts to implement the provisions of the Belfast, Good Friday Agreement; if he will enlist the support of the two Governments and all parties in Northern Ireland to make the Agreement work; if meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council, the British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference will take place regularly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23945/21]

Paul McAuliffe

Question:

107. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the communication he has had with the UK Government regarding the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24032/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together.

The full implementation and effective operation of the Good Friday Agreement and all subsequent implementing agreements is an utmost priority for this Government.

The Government regularly engages with and supports the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland through the institutions provided for under the Good Friday Agreement, the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) and the British Irish Council (BIC).

The NSMC is essential to overseeing and developing North South cooperation on matters of mutual interest, including the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The important work of the NSMC to develop cooperation on an all-island basis has resumed following the NDNA agreement. Two successful NSMC plenary meetings have now taken place, as well as a number of Sectoral meetings at Ministerial level, and progress continues across the breadth of North-South areas of cooperation.

The Irish Government commitments that were made at the time of the New Decade New Agreement (NDNA) are focused on working with the Executive through the NSMC to deliver projects that benefit people across the island, including greater connectivity between North and South; investing in the North West region and in border communities; supporting the Irish language in Northern Ireland; and supporting reconciliation as an integral part of the Peace Process. The first implementation review meeting took place in January of this year, which I attended with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the First Minister and deputy First Minister. It is hoped that we can arrange a second implementation review meeting in the period ahead. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to ensuring the sustainable and effective operation of all the devolved institutions, and committed themselves to the ongoing implementation of NDNA.

The Government also looks forward to enhanced roles for the British Irish Council and British Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC), as set out in the Programme for Government.

The BIC brings together: the Irish Government; UK Government; Scottish Government; Northern Ireland Executive; Welsh Government; Isle of Man Government; Government of Jersey and Government of Guernsey to “promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands”. The Government has participated in a range of BIC meetings this year on a diverse range of topics including: collaborative spatial planning, housing, and digital inclusion. We will continue to engage with the BIC in the period ahead.

The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) is an important institution of the Good Friday Agreement, bringing together the British and Irish Governments under Strand Three of the Agreement to promote bilateral co-operation on matters of mutual interest within the competence of both Governments. The Agreement provides for meetings of the Conference concerned with non-devolved Northern Ireland matters on which the Irish Government may put forward views and proposals. It also provides that the Conference may consider all-island cross-border co-operation on non-devolved issues.

I have been in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis with regard to the BIIGC. I travelled to London for a series of engagements with the British Government in mid-April, including meetings with the Secretary of State, Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb and Minister of State to the Cabinet Office David Frost. Then, on 5 May, I met again with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in Dublin. During these programmes of bilateral engagements, I reaffirmed the importance of the role of the BIIGC. At our meeting on 5 May, it was agreed that we would hold the next meeting in June.

The achievements of the peace process must never be taken for granted and we will continue to work with both the British Government and the Northern Executive to protect and uphold the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions in all circumstances.

Questions Nos. 108 and 109 answered with Question No. 57.

Question No. 110 answered with Question No. 61.

Question No. 111 answered with Question No. 57.

Question No. 112 answered with Question No. 54.

United Nations

Questions (113)

Denis Naughten

Question:

113. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress to date on the UNCCD Great Green Wall project and Ireland’s engagement with the UNCCD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23961/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs

The Great Green Wall is a Pan-African initiative to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel-Saharan region, covering more than 20 African countries. The intervention zone dedicated to the Great Green Wall spans a length of at least 7000 km between Senegal and Djibouti and is home to some 232 million people.

To reach its targets the initiative needs to rehabilitate 8.2 million hectares per year between now and 2030. The initiative involves a broad range of organisations, including the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

In 2020, UNCCD reported that eleven countries participating in the Great Green Wall have collectively rehabilitated approximately four million hectares of land between 2007 and 2019. This has resulted in a number of environmental and socio-economic benefits, including the creation of 335,000 jobs.

US$14 billion was pledged at the recent One Planet Summit for Biodiversity, organised by the Government of France in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank, to help assist the completion of the Great Green Wall by 2030.

Ireland makes an annual core contribution to UNCCD, and in 2020 this amounted to €27,426. In addition, Ireland has made specific contributions to the Great Green Wall initiative.

- In 2018, Irish Aid provided €50,000 to support the production of a documentary on the Great Green Wall. This was released in 2020 and can be viewed at www.greatgreenwall.org/film.

- In 2018, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications provided funding of €1.2 million to UNCCD to help develop a detailed implementation and reporting plan for the initiative.

Question No. 114 answered with Question No. 63.

United Nations

Questions (115)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

115. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which Ireland might utilise its position on the UN Security Council to encourage a rejuvenation of the structures of the UN in order to restore its influence in dealing with peacekeeping needs, natural disasters, famine and starvation, ethnic cleansing, international conflict and human rights abuses globally in order to have increased and positive impact on all such situations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3971/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Ireland is committed to the United Nations, which continues to play an indispensable role at the heart of the multilateral system. We believe that the UN system should be strengthened and revitalised so that it can continue to effectively address global challenges, and support reform where it is necessary.

Discussions on reform of the Security Council take place in the General Assembly, through the Intergovernmental Negotiations framework for Security Council reform, which last met on 4 May. Ireland actively engaged in these negotiations and has been consistently clear on the need to increase the size of the Security Council; to address geographic under-representation, in particular of Africa; and to see an end to the use of the veto, particularly in cases of actual or potential mass atrocity crimes. While I am aware of the challenges in securing progress, we will continue to support calls for change.

Ireland also remains actively engaged in seeking to make a positive impact on the work of the Security Council, in line with our core principles: Building Peace, Strengthening Conflict Prevention and Ensuring Accountability. We are working to improve peacekeeping mandates to ensure they are realistic, achievable and properly resourced, and can effectively act. Ireland is committed to actively promoting respect for human rights, accountability and compliance with international law in our work across the Council agenda and its subsidiary bodies.

Ireland has consistently supported and been actively involved in ongoing reform of the UN Development System, which aims to reposition the system to implement Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals more effectively. This has led to the restructuring of UN development accountability structures, with direct lines of responsibility from country leadership to the Secretary-General, and Resident Coordinators empowered to coordinate UN Country Teams to address development challenges in a more joined-up way.

The UN’s approach to the COVID-19 crisis, through a Global Humanitarian Response Plan and coordinated country-level needs assessments and response plans, demonstrate that the reform is having a positive impact and we will continue to support its implementation.

Question No. 116 answered with Question No. 93.

Middle East

Questions (117)

Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

117. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the way Irish corporations can continue to justify their engagement with the state and economy of Israel given that Ireland has acknowledged the fact that Israel’s occupation of Palestine territories is illegitimate (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23886/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Ireland’s position on the illegality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory informs our engagement with the State of Israel across a range of bilateral issues, including our trade, and will continue to do so.

Ireland distinguishes between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967, in line with international law and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. This position is common across all Government Departments.

IDA Ireland is an autonomous Statutory Agency which operates under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who is best placed to comment on the Agency’s activities and decisions and is also responsible for trade. In this regard, I refer the Deputy to recent replies by the Tánaiste on the matter.

Ireland’s position will continue to be based on international law, Israel’s obligations as the occupying Power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, and on the relevant Resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Foreign Policy

Questions (118)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Question:

118. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the contribution of Ireland at the United Nations or otherwise to help address the humanitarian and political situation in Myanmar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24036/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

I have strongly condemned the coup carried out by the Myanmar military, the arbitrary detention of political leaders, and the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters. The coup is a reversal of progress made towards democracy and rule of law in Myanmar that has taken years to establish. It does nothing to tackle the public health, security or economic issues faced by the people of Myanmar.

The UN Security Council, with the support of Ireland, has expressed deep concerns regarding developments in Myanmar, has strongly condemned the use of violence by the military, and called for the release of all those detained. It is welcome that the Security Council has taken a united position on this crisis as this sends a strong message to the Myanmar military. The crisis remains on the agenda of the Security Council and our Mission to the UN continues to follow developments closely.

I am also deeply concerned regarding the humanitarian and human rights impact of the coup. Tens of thousands of people have been newly displaced from renewed violence. Meanwhile, the operating environment is becoming more restrictive for NGOs. I have called for unhindered access for humanitarian workers to all regions.

I have made commitments that Ireland will ensure our continued humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable communities in Myanmar, including internally displaced persons and Rohingya refugees.

Ireland supports the adoption of targeted sanctions against the perpetrators of the coup and the economic entities that sustain them. In this regard, I endorsed the comprehensive approach set out in EU Council Conclusions adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on February 22 and the subsequent adoption of sanctions on March 22 and again on April 19.

Ireland, along with our EU colleagues, has been a steadfast supporter of Myanmar’s civilian and democratic transition, its peace process and national reconciliation, and its inclusive socio-economic development. We will maintain these roles during this challenging period.

Good Friday Agreement

Questions (119)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

119. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the elements of the Good Friday Agreement that have not yet been fully implemented. [39932/20]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The full implementation and effective operation of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) and all subsequent implementing Agreements is an utmost priority for this Government. The Agreements, as well as the principles and values underpinning them, are at the core of the Government’s approach to peace, reconciliation and prosperity on this island.

A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland is a central provision of the GFA that has not to date been implemented. The Government welcomes the fact that an Ad-Hoc Northern Ireland Assembly Committee has been established; the Committee published its research paper on the “Key Issues for a Bill of Rights” in March 2020, and launched a public consultation in May.

All parties to the GFA recognised the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, which in Northern Ireland includes the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities. Progress has been made regarding the Government’s commitments within the New Decade New Approach (NDNA), including the allocation of: €3m as part of the commitment in Budget 2021 for Irish language broadcasting; €1.8m over three years (2020-22) to support the Irish language in Northern Ireland; and an All Island expansion of the existing Irish Language Network strategy. It is important that the language and identity provisions agreed in the New Decade New Approach Agreement are progressed as agreed, alongside all the commitments in that Agreement.

The Government continues to engage with the Northern Irish Executive in order to establish a Civic Forum in Northern Ireland, as provided for under Strand One of the GFA. In the NDNA agreement, it was agreed that the Compact Civic Advisory Panel would be reformed to propose the most appropriate model for civic engagement on specific issues.

The Government continues to support the establishment of the North South Consultative Forum, as provided for under Strand Two of the GFA, and has worked to move the issue forward, submitting proposals to the Northern Ireland Executive for its consideration. We have also raised the issue at successive plenary meetings of the North South Ministerial Council.

Human Rights

Questions (120)

Patrick Costello

Question:

120. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will use Ireland’s position on the UN Security Council to ensure a human rights observation mission is added to MINURSO mandate when it is renewed in October 2021. [24788/21]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Ireland has a long tradition of contributing to UN peace-support missions and we have maintained a continuous presence in UN peace support operations since 1958. During our time on the Security Council we are pushing to improve the mandates of UN peacekeeping operations. We will work to ensure that the mandates for peacekeeping missions align with the needs of the populations that they serve and that peacekeeping missions are adequately resourced to that purpose, including in the case of MINURSO. We believe that UN Peace Missions have an essential role to play in protecting civilians and promoting respect for human rights, and Ireland is supporting their crucial work in this area.

Ireland’s longstanding position on Western Sahara is one of full support for MINURSO, the UN-led process and the Secretary General’s efforts to bring about a definitive and mutually acceptable political settlement on this issue. The UN path is, in our view, the only path forward.

The Council, in UNSCR 2548 of 2020, called on the parties to the conflict to develop and implement independent and credible measures to ensure full respect for human rights and has encouraged enhancing cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), including by facilitating visits of the High Commissioner to the region.

The Council held closed consultations on Western Sahara on the 21st of April in which Ireland made clear its longstanding position and urged de-escalation. Ireland has called on all parties to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement of 1991, to fulfil their obligations under international law, including ensuring full respect for human rights, and to refrain from taking any actions that could lead to further destabilisation of the situation on the ground.

In the mandate renewal process, as in all our work across the Council agenda, Ireland will continue to promote respect for human rights, accountability and compliance with international law.